Tabac Blond by Caron (1919)

For anyone who's ever enjoyed the deliciously naughty pleasure of smoking (I know, I know, it's bad for you), you'll know that one of its unfortunate side effects is waking up to a pile of clothes that smell like a combination of perfume and cigarettes.

And yet...

That olfactory trace of a vice-filled night out can bring great pleasure by evoking memories of living for the moment, of drawing in the heat and toasted flavor of tobacco deep into your lungs, of smoky kisses between peaty sips of scotch, and of coming back home too late to bother with removing your makeup.

Perhaps more than any other infamous tobacco classic (Habanita, Cuir de Russie, Jolie Madame or Scandal — but not Bandit, sorry), Tabac Blond lives up to these smoke-filled images of livin' la vida loca, only, instead of evoking stale cigarette smoke, at its heart is the rich, toasted caramel smell of rolling tobacco.

Composed by the wonderful Ernest Daltroff, who, as the nose for Narcisse Noir, seems to have specialized in creating perfumes for minxes-gone-wild, Tabac Blond paid homage to the scandalous bad girls who smoked cigarettes in the teens and '20s.

Notes from Perfume Shrine: Leather, carnation, linden, iris, vetiver, ylang-ylang, cedar, patchouli, vanilla, ambergris, musk (I detect civet)

Unlike Cuir de Russie and Scandal, scents whose overly-cloying floral notes reveal that they don't have the courage of their tobacco convictions, Tabac Blond's tobacco and leather notes aren't upstaged by florals. It starts off with ylang-ylang and leather, and moves into a wonderful powdery yet sharp (some have said metallic, Caron website says "coppery") smoke note that continues to sing through to the vanillic, clove-y, spicy and warm drydown. (I detect some civet dirtiness; most lists of notes I see exclude it, but Olfactarama includes it.)

Note-wise, I prefer Habanita and its comforting, more legible tobacco presence, and if you want a shocking tobacco scent, look no further than Bandit's badass wet ashtray meets leather and isobutyl quinoline. But in terms of projecting dark, sultry, and yet refined, you can't do much better than Tabac Blond; it's the most well-rounded of the vintage tobacco perfumes, in my opinion — tobacco softened, feminized, and beautified while still retaining some roughness. (OK — scratch that; I love Rumeur more. Tabac Blond is the second best well-rounded vintage tobacco perfume.)

Although the "blond" in the name refers to light tobacco, I think of brunettes when I think of this scent, specifically, Ava Gardner (below) and Linda Fiorentino (right).

Perfume writer Denyse Beaulieu has said that, historically, Tabac Blond was "meant to blend with, and cover up, the still-shocking smell of cigarettes: smoking was still thought to be a sign of loose morals."

Now? Tabac Blond and its homage to disreputable women is considered a classic. I shall refrain from saying that we've come a long way, baby.

(Please note: Vintage Tabac Blond is very, very hard to come by these days. The Perfumed Court seems to have only the reformulated version; I've yet to run into a mini; and eBay auctions for TB typically end with a winning bid above $300. This current eBay auction features Tabac Blond extrait. With 3 days left to go, there are already 24 bids and the current price is $200(!). I'm reviewing an Eau de Parfum from an unknown era [maybe 60s or 70s?], but definitely pre-reformulation. I got it from Quirky Finds, and I think she still has one for a reasonable price. Go get it!)

The photo of this beautiful vintage bottle of Tabac Blond courtesy Aromablog.ru

Comments

[Kristy Victoria]

Did I mention I'm still on the lookout for some of that Coty Styx you wrote about? I've been sniped on a few ebay auctions by now! ;) However, I do have some vintage Djedi extrait on the way!

[Perfumaniac]

Wow, Kristy! Djedi? Good on you! From eBay? How much did you pay, if I may ask?

[Kristy Victoria]

It was a $1700 bottle that was split with like 30 other people, so I got 1.5 mL for about $45. Not exactly cheap, but $20 less than The Perfumed Court.

[Perfumaniac]

Brilliant idea — how do I get in on these group purchases! ;) I have a teeny tiny sample of Djedi from PC and I could have bought a whole bottle of Heiress by Paris Hilton with what I paid for it! (Kidding, kidding.)

[mals86]

Just got that sample (of reformulated, I suppose) TB from TPC. Haven't tried it yet. Really have not had much luck with tobacco scents in general, except for SSS Tabac Aurea, which is *incredible stuff.*

[Perfumaniac]

I want to try classic Knize Ten. Cant believe I haven't yet...

[Lucy]

Ah, I remember my smoking days, I loved cigarettes so much, esp. with coffee and chocolate. That was long ago, thank god. One day, that is all I can say, perhaps I will have the luck to try vintage TB...

[robin]

I have a small bottle of vintage Tabac Blond parfum. To me it smells of sweet rubber more than leather...like a tire shop. VERY similar to Knize 10. It is nice and I do crave it once in a while, but my favorite vintage tobacco scent remains Fleurs de Tabac by Cherigan. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a huge 4 oz bottle of vintage Fleurs de Tabac Lotion (which is like an EDT or EDP) for only a few dollars. It's a gorgeous, mildly sweet, ambery tobacco scent. Really lovely stuff.

[Delores Macfarland]

I have a used bottle of Le Tabac Blond by Caron (1919)vintage with about 3/8 inch of the perfume still in it. The bottle has "Caron" etched on the top of the glass stopper, and inscription etched on bottom of bottle that appears to be "M6". I enjoyed reading your article concerning this item, I found it very interesting. I have never opened the bottle, but can smell the scent on the bottle, and find it quite different and unusual from todays modern scents.

[Isis]

I got a sample of the reformulated Tabac Blond and to my pleasant surprise- after reading so much negative reviews on it, I absolutely love it. Makes me very curious on the original perfume, though.

[Perfumaniac]

I haven't smelled the new Tabac Blond, Isis, but it could just be a case of disgruntled vintage lovers comparing the new with the original. They might have liked it as much as you do if they hadn't smelled the original. Tabac Blond is tricky to find in the original, but it can be done if you're motivated enough!

[Isis]

I must say that I don't get the whole reformulating thing. To me it feels like putting new paint on a painting or re-write a book that someone else painted/wrote. Perhaps there are very good reasons for it, like some component getting too expensive or impossible to get, but on the whole I feel that if someone has created something, then the creation is meant to be that way and not be tampered with. :)

[Perfumaniac]

I agree, Isis. I think it's because of perfume's invisible, shape-shifting qualities (which are its virtues). Perfumers — or more accurately, the companies that employ them — take advantage of the fact that unlike a fake Louis Vuitton bag, for example, most people won't notice the differences in the reformulation. Only, they do. And more people are starting to call them out on it...But yeah, it makes sense they would reformulate if an ingredient has become too prohibitively expensive (but even then, why not just charge more?). But when they change formulas just to change them? That makes no sense to me...just create a flanker!

[Isis]

Indeed, why not make something new then. It feels like a lack of confidence for what you have, or perhaps a fear that if it isn't renewed, then it won't appeal (which I guess IS lack of confidence). Or just plain greed, I guess it would be perfectly possibly to reformulate with cheaper ingridients and still keep the price... Either way it speaks of a massive disregard for those who actually buý and wear the perfume.

One of the virtues of the Net- people can get together and realize that their own experience is not unique.

[Perfumaniac]

Isis, do you know this website? http://www.trashydiva.com/ Theyre from New Orleans. Check it out!

[Isis]

I did manage to get my hands on the vintage Tabac Blond and the difference was quite pronounced. The "new" Tabac Blond still smells nice to me, but the original is much more complex and interesting. And definitely naugthier! I very much prefer the original version!

I didn't see your coment until now; Yes, I do know about Trashy Diva- their clothes are so pretty!

[julie]

Yes, Tabac Blond is pricey on ebay. I tried, failed, several times, with the money I kept in my pocket to keep me warm [sigh]. Considering getting a sample of the modern from luckyscent as I zero in on leather/ashtray as the thing I crave. Love your writing. Other sites tell us what we're wearing; you remind us why.

[Perfumaniac]

Hi Julie: I think Miniature Perfume Shoppe might have a decant? Worth checking. Thanks for liking the blog! I say it all the time, but it's true: I write this for readers like you. I gain so much insight into the why's from you all, too.

[Laura]

The vintage tabac blond is like nothing I've ever smelled before. It literally fell in my lap in a vintage store in New Orleans. I was just lolly gagging around as usual at Retro Active and BOOM! Right in front of my eyes is a vintage bottle. It was one of the luckiest days of my life! Just goes to show that things show up when your not looking for them ;-).
Not to mention it was less than $200. I'm glad they only thought they were charging that much (are you kidding? I basically stole it!) because of the baccarat bottle! Lol

[Perfumaniac]

Whoa, Laura. First off, congratulations on your score! When did you buy Tabac Blond in New Orleans? You know I live in New Orleans, right?

[Laura]

I had no idea we live in the same city! This is my favorite blog to read about vintage perfumes and has always been my reference. I was beginning to think I was the only one in this city to be obsessed with perfumes and vintage ones for that matter!

I found Tabac Blond about a year ago. I would've never imagined that I would find it in NOLA...of all places.

[Colin]

I absolutely love this. I'm selling my remaining

32ml on ebid auction site later tonight.

Well worth a cheeky bid.

[Jadon]

Hi. I have the one still brand new unopened in a box from 1919. Can somebody tell me where i can sell or for how much?

[Fernando]

Where can I find this cologne my email is [email protected] thanks